Insurers pay caregivers to track patients

Independence Blue Cross, Aetna, and four other insurers serving the Philadelphia region will start paying more than 150 family doctors and other caregivers to more closely track their patients' care and conditions. About 220,000 patients in Southeastern Pennsylvania will participate in the effort, which seeks to make caregivers more accessible to their patients through e-mail and phone calls and to educate them to take better care of themselves. The effort is part the Prescription for Pennsylvania proposal, which seeks to expand access to health coverage for the uninsured and reduce medical errors.